Highway Patrol honors local troopers at annual awards
April 24, 2019
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, congratulated 31 employees who accepted awards at the Patrol's annual awards and The MASTERS banquet last Saturday evening. Family, friends and members of The MASTERS (Missouri Association of State Troopers Emergency Relief Society) gathered at the Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center. The Honorable Michael L. Parson, 57th governor of Missouri, provided the keynote address.
Corporal Joel E. Givens and Trooper Travis L. Coffey, of Troop D, were honored for action that spanned Barry, Lawrence and Christian counties.
On September 22, 2018, Corporal Joel E. Givens was involved in the pursuit of a felony suspect through Barry, Lawrence, and Christian counties. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle into a GMC SUV and an Aurora Police Department vehicle. The suspect exited his vehicle and climbed onto the hood of the GMC where he stood in a shooting stance holding a gun. Officers from the Aurora Police Department and Verona Police Department were also on the scene and discharged their weapons, striking the suspect multiple times. Cpl. Givens and Trooper Travis L. Coffey, who had arrived on the scene, immediately treated the suspect by affixing a Hyfin chest seal and two category five tourniquets, one on each leg. Tpr. Coffey applied a blood stopping chemical then direct pressure on the gunshot wounds. The officers' actions preserved the suspect’s life.
A press release by the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated, "These employees’ actions are a credit to themselves and reflect the core values of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Congratulations to each of them."
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, congratulated 31 employees who accepted awards at the Patrol's annual awards and The MASTERS banquet last Saturday evening. Family, friends and members of The MASTERS (Missouri Association of State Troopers Emergency Relief Society) gathered at the Drury Plaza Hotel Cape Girardeau Conference Center. The Honorable Michael L. Parson, 57th governor of Missouri, provided the keynote address.
Corporal Joel E. Givens and Trooper Travis L. Coffey, of Troop D, were honored for action that spanned Barry, Lawrence and Christian counties.
On September 22, 2018, Corporal Joel E. Givens was involved in the pursuit of a felony suspect through Barry, Lawrence, and Christian counties. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle into a GMC SUV and an Aurora Police Department vehicle. The suspect exited his vehicle and climbed onto the hood of the GMC where he stood in a shooting stance holding a gun. Officers from the Aurora Police Department and Verona Police Department were also on the scene and discharged their weapons, striking the suspect multiple times. Cpl. Givens and Trooper Travis L. Coffey, who had arrived on the scene, immediately treated the suspect by affixing a Hyfin chest seal and two category five tourniquets, one on each leg. Tpr. Coffey applied a blood stopping chemical then direct pressure on the gunshot wounds. The officers' actions preserved the suspect’s life.
A press release by the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated, "These employees’ actions are a credit to themselves and reflect the core values of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Congratulations to each of them."
